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Merril D. Smith

@merrildsmith.bsky.social

1K followers 760 following 2.7K posts

Poet, Historian, Works published here and there. Lover of river walks and the sea. Cat Lady. Poetry Collection: River Ghosts (Nightingale & Sparrow Press)

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · Sep 5

I have a new poetry collection, and I'm launching it next month, Sunday, October 19 at 1 PM Eastern Daylight Time I hope you'll join me! @janecornwell.bsky.social

merrildsmith.org/2025/09/05/b...

Book Launch for my New Collection of Poetry, “Held Inside the Folds of Time”

Details here. Please join me, the amazing Jane Cornwell, and my guest readers. I would love to see all my friends there! Book available in hardback and e-book:

merrildsmith.org

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 1h

You're welcome.

Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 4h

From Pure Haiku

Encircling - Guidelines purehaiku.wordpress.com/2025/10/08/g...

Encircling – Guidelines

Pure Haiku is OPEN to submissions of 5-7-5 syllabic haiku on the theme of Encircling. The deadline is 31st October 2025 2359 UK time. Thank you to everyone who has already sent in their haiku on th…

purehaiku.wordpress.com

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Reposted by Merril D. Smith

Paul @paulwritespoems.bsky.social · 21h

This Thursday. Write Here, Right Now. A supportive and inclusive poetry writing group. Prompt. WiP. Peer Feedback.

Interested? Drop me a message.

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Reposted by Merril D. Smith

Paul @paulwritespoems.bsky.social · Sep 3

If you’re working on #WednesdayWIPs this is a potential opportunity for you…

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 22h

A #Poem for dVerse. I'm bringing the fire with this one.

merrildsmith.org/2025/10/07/o...

October Brings the Fire

October Brings the Fire You catch your breathas the startling blue-eye above youwinks in the water, and a mockingbird yet sings,pouring glistening notes into the honeyed light that streams through …

merrildsmith.org

Reposted by Merril D. Smith

The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 1d

#PoemsAbout #ImperfectMe kicks off Friday. Think fractured reflections, messy middles, scars that still speak. Draft, hold, then post from Friday. Use Alt Text. Tag properly or we won’t find it. For inbox prompts every Saturday: shorturl.at/0Xm7A

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 2d

Thank you, Evie! 💙

Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 2d

Roberta Writes - Book reviews: Miira (Innerscape #1) and Happy Hour and Other Sorrows #fiction #bookreviews #reading community roberta-writes.com/2025/10/06/r...

Roberta Writes – Book reviews: Miira (Innerscape #1) and Happy Hour and Other Sorrows #fiction #bookreviews #reading community

Miira (Innerscape #1) by A.C. Flory Picture caption: Cover of Miira Innterscape: Book 1 by A.C. Flory What Amazon says In 2101, the average life expectancy is one hundred and ten. Miira Tahn, last …

roberta-writes.com

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 2d

Good morning! It's Monday, and I'm musing. This is my weekly post with a poem, photos, and commentary about the past week.

merrildsmith.org/2025/10/06/r...

Remembering Fire

Monday Morning Musings Remembering Fire “I should have been fire, I should always have been fire.”–Sarah Connor, “Always Fire” “Human beings have a remarkable ability to accept the abnormal a…

merrildsmith.org

Reposted by Merril D. Smith

Glenn Barker @rotherwrites.bsky.social · 2d

This week I want to #LiftToTheSky poet Brian Patten, who died September 29th; not so much for his poetry but this quote from him in a newspaper obituary, which goes to the heart of why we come together every week for #PoemsAbout #PromptCombo and others.

@thebrokenspine.co.uk
#PoetsInBluesky

Brain Patten, Poet, 1946-2025

Writing poetry was a kind of therapy
for him. “You think about things which
are in you and sensations that are going
through you and if you understand them
you can grow in that knowledge. That
is what poems are for”.

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

Do you remember that old Vincent Price movie about the wax museum? 😂 You're welcome, and thank you! 😊

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

💙

Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

You're welcome, Paul!

Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you, Gary!

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you, Paul!
I never saw that movie. In the poem, I was referring to a children's show. I hope the generals are, too.

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

You're welcome! 💙

Reposted by Merril D. Smith

Rebekah 💙🏳️‍🌈 @rteller.bsky.social · 3d

I'm a little late. Here's my piece for #PoemsAbout #Mannequin
@alanparrywriter.co.uk @thebrokenspine.co.uk

Surveying

I may as well be a mannequin
All I can do is stand here and watch
Even though I voted
And I called my representatives
And I filled out the surveys
And I went to the town hall
But still children are being tied up
In the middle of the night
While the President is building
A golden ballroom
And all that's left to do is
Stand here with a sign that says
Please do not touch

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

Powerful, Rebekah! Yes, this is where we are.

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Reposted by Merril D. Smith

The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 3d

Big thanks for last week’s fierce drops on #PoemsAbout. Next up: #ImperfectMe — bruised reflections, warped mirrors, un-Photoshopped truths. The new theme starts this Friday. Sign up for prompts: shorturl.at/0Xm7A Use Alt Text. Tag #PoemsAbout or get lost in the feed.

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Reposted by Merril D. Smith

Carolyn Thomas @carolynthomas.bsky.social · 3d

Hopelessly late but here’s another of the Ruth Ellis poems (this one’s a bit rough and needs tidying) for #PoemsAbout #Mannequins
@alanparrywriter.co.uk
@thebrokenspine.co.uk

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

So good, Carolyn. Not horrible enough for the morbid appetites of the throngs who come to see the notorious killers. Wax museums are creepy anyway. 😉

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you so much, Carolyn! 🥰 I'm so sorry technology was against you yesterday. I was looking forward to hearing you read.

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Merril D. Smith @merrildsmith.bsky.social · 3d

Roberta Writes - d'Verse, Dipping our Poetic Paddles and CFFC roberta-writes.com/2025/10/04/r...

Roberta Writes – d’Verse, Dipping our Poetic Paddles and CFFC

Truedessa’s Tuesday d’Verse guest post was to write a poem using the line The Song My Paddle Sings. You can read other contributions here: Canoeing (haibun) When I was a girl, Dad bough…

roberta-writes.com

Reposted by Merril D. Smith

The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 5d

Something Gothic this way comes… Submissions are OPEN for The Havisham Steps: Modern Gothic Poetry. We want poems of neon dread, fractured love, haunted minds.

Closing date: October 31st

#PoetrySubmissions #SubmissionWindow #TheHavishamSteps #ModernGothicPoetry

Something Gothic This Way Comes: Submit to The Havisham Steps: Modern Gothic Poetry - The Broken Spine

Submissions Open Throughout October 2025 | Publication in 2026

thebrokenspine.co.uk

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Reposted by Merril D. Smith

The Broken Spine @thebrokenspine.co.uk · 3d

Well, #NotJustPretty was an absolute blast. I'm a little teary after hearing @katiejenkinspoet.bsky.social read my fave poem from her forthcoming collection. Compound that with the event itself, the vision from @karenpgonzalez.bsky.social wonderfully hosted! Everything we could have wanted!

a silhouette of a woman with the words girl power let 's go written on it

ALT: a silhouette of a woman with the words girl power let 's go written on it

media.tenor.com

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